Allow Us to Print Textbooks, TS Printers Urge State Government

HYDERABAD:Telangana Web Offset Printers’ Association urged the state government to consider allocating the rightful share to around 70 Telangana printers, particularly medium and small printers, for printing  government textbooks.

“The Telangana government can follow either registration method followed 20 years ago where all the printers are registered and allotted work according to their capacity. Or specify tender regulations that benefit printers from Telangana state,” the association demanded.

Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Telangana JAC chairman M Kodandaram said the tenders for printing sale component of textbooks were given to only four to five big printers from AP in the combined state.

Eighty per cent of the textbooks were being supplied by the government free of cost. In the free component, the government would supply paper and others to printers. Whereas, the remaining 20 per cent books, sale component, the government hitherto gave it to only five printers, who hail from AP. The government may follow any system, but ultimately, the printing of 20 per cent sale component books should be given to Telangana printers, Kodandaram demanded. Telangana Web Offset Printers’ Association president Devulapalli Ajay and general secretary Balreddy Kandadi said if the Telangana government gives printing of sale component textbooks to small and medium printers, they would use good paper and maintain quality as per the norms. According to them, the free component of textbooks were around four crore, whereas the sale component of textbooks would be 65 lakh. “The small and medium printers could print 12 crore books within a month,” they said.

 “We can give required textbooks within one month and the government could supply them to the students on the very first day of  opening of schools,” they averred. Though, the government prescribe the printers and publishers to use 70 GSM paper, the quality of paper being used for textbooks was very poor.

“Telangana printers assure government that only quality paper will be used,” Ajay and Balreddy said.

“All the old GOs with regard to printing of textbooks should be scrapped and the Telangana government should stipulate new guidelines benefiting 70 web offset printers,” they demanded.